The club is honouring the careers of John Stones and Bernardo Silva with the opening of a special pop-up pub in the heart of Manchester city centre
“I remember John Stones’ second season, they had an opening day and I met him, it was the best thing ever,” recalls Will who is patiently waiting outside the Star & Garter pub on Fairfield Street.
The Star and Garter Tavern – as it was then known – first opened in 1803 around 50 yards from where it currently stands. In 1849 it was forced to close for the expansion of London Road station before being taken down and rebuilt brick by brick in its current location.
Over the decades some of the UK’s biggest musicians and groups have passed over the threshold – from Status Quo and Peter Hook, to The Courteeners, Half Man Half Biscuit, and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes. Yesterday, it welcomed some more famous faces, but this time from the world of sport.
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For four days only, the legendary venue has been renamed The Stones & Silva as part of an opportunity for fans to recognise and honour the careers of John Stones and Bernardo Silva, who have played together as part of the squad for close to a decade. Both stopped by yesterday ahead of its official opening, and today we spoke to some of those queuing to be the first in.
“I’ve got a Stones shirt too and my dad’s even got a tattoo of Bernardo Silva,” adds Will.
“We all knew that they were going, but it was watching the interview of Bernardo yesterday, it was gutting – but we’ve just got to celebrate them. I’ll be coming down to the parade on Monday too.
“There’s a memory that sticks out of Bernardo, playing at home against Liverpool in the 18/19 season where we pipped them to it by a point, he was everywhere, him and Fernandinho in the middle. Then for John Stones everyone will say Champions League final but it was that year, at home to Leicester, he scored outside the box, it was ace.”
Just a little further down the queue is Emma, a lifelong Manchester City supporter, who has popped down early before having to work this weekend. “It’s gutting to see them go, but I understand it, they can only do so much for the club.
“It’s sad but it’s amazing what they’ve done. Winning the four in the row was the most memorable moment for me.”
Running from May 21 to 24, the themed pub has been given a lick of sky blue paint, and decked out with club memorabilia and décor inspired by the pair’s ‘unforgettable moments’ at the club ahead of their exit. The pub is operating on a first come, first serve basis for fans throughout its four days and people have been advised to prepare for big queues.
Centre-back Stones first joined City back in 2016 and announced last month he would be leaving at the end of the season after saying ‘every dream has been smashed out of the park’. There are many nods to his contribution to the team throughout the venue including screens playing previous cup finals, newspaper clippings hanging from the walls and even his signed number 5 shirt.
Meanwhile, midfielder and captain Silva also announced last month that he would leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season after nine years with the Blues. In a statement at the time, the 31-year-old, who is also being reportedly eyed up by Juventus, said he would remain ‘a Man City supporter for life’, and urged the club to ‘fight for what this season still brings us’.
Head upstairs and along the stairwell you’ll find several Bernardo Silva heatmaps showing just how much energy the player exerted during games including their fixture against Nottingham Forest in March. Around the pub, you might also find a pair of Silva’s boots from the 22/23 Champions League Final.
It’s also on this level that a special mural showing all the cups the pair have won during the tenure too, plus piles of post-it notes for fans to write their favourite memories on and stick to the wall.
Downstairs, as well as a special Manchester City dart board for punters to try out, there’s an take on an iconic photograph featuring some of the football club’s biggest fans. Many will recall the Kevin Cummins image of Liam Gallagher jumping on his brother Noel’s back wearing the City kit of the time, and now its been recreated by Silva and Stones.
There’s also a merchandise stall selling a variety of items including mugs, scarves, magnets and keyrings. Plus there’s artwork tees, framed signed shirts and limited edition home shirts.
The pub will be open from 21-24 May, with fans able to enjoy the experience on a first come, first served basis. The first 100 supporters through the doors each day will receive a complimentary beer courtesy of Asahi.
The pop-up pub will open at the following times:Thursday 21 May: 4pm-11pm; Friday 22 May: 4pm-11pm; Saturday 23 May: 12pm-11pm; and Sunday 24 May: 12pm-8pm.
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